275 Inspiring Quotes by Bruce Lee

In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup.

The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.

To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.

Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.

With every adversity comes a blessing because a shock acts as a reminder to oneself that we must not get stale in routine.

Remember my friend to enjoy your planning as well as your accomplishment, for life is too short for negative energy.

In order to control myself I must first accept myself by going with and not against my nature.

Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo.

I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education.

The possession of anything begins in the mind.

A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.

My style? You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.

What you habitually think largely determines what you will ultimately become.

All types of knowledge, ultimately mean self knowledge.

Do not have an attitude, open yourself and focus yourself and express yourself. Reject external form that fails to express internal reality.

To doubt is to think, and thought is the only thing in the universe whose existence cannot be denied, because to deny is to think.

A goal is not always meant to be reached. It often serves simply as something to aim at.

One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.

False teachers of the Way of life use flowery words.

Be a practical dreamer backed by action.

The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.

To understand your fear is the beginning of really seeing.

Learning is never cumulative, it is a movement of knowing which has no beginning and no end.

A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard.

Humility forms the basis of honor, just as the low ground forms the foundation of a high elevation.

Absence in love is like water upon fire; a little quickens, but much extinguishes it.

Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.

Be a calm beholder of what is happening around you.

The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.

Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.

If every man would help his neighbor, no man would be without help.

Masters in all branches of art must first be masters in living, for the soul creates everything.

A purpose is the eternal condition of success.

Fluidity is the way to an empty mind. You must free your ambitious mind and learn the art of dying.

Ultimately the greatest help is self-help.

But neither can you condemn nor justify and yet be extraordinarily alive as you walk on.
You can never invite the wind but you must leave the window open.

We do not become. We simply are.

Endurance is lost rapidly if one ceases to work at its maximum.

You just wait. I'm going to be the biggest Chinese Star in the world.

Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be snapped.

When you feel pain, you know that you are still alive.

I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.

A man must constantly exceed his level.

Never waste energy on worries or negative thoughts, all problems are brought into existence -drop them.

The strongest is he that makes use of his opponent's strength -- be the bamboo tree which bends toward the wind; and when the wind ceases, it springs back stronger than before.

Your state of mind is everything.

If I tell you I'm good, probably you will say I'm boasting. But if I tell you I'm not good, you'll know I'm lying.

There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.

Effort within the mind further limits the mind, because effort implies struggle towards a goal and when you have a goal, a purpose, an end in view, you have placed a limit on the mind.

Zen is not "attained" by mirror-wiping mediation, but by "self-forgetfulness in the existential 'present' of life here and now." We do not "come", we "are." Don't strive to become, but be.

Yesterday's dreams are often tomorrow's realities.

Don't fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.

If I should die tomorrow, I will have no regrets. I did what I wanted to do. You can't expect more from life.

Have no rigid system in you, and you'll be flexible to change with the ever changing.

If you make an ass out of yourself, there will always be someone to ride you.

Don't think. FEEL. It's like a finger pointing at the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all of the heavenly glory.

There is intelligence when you are not afraid.

Art is never decoration, embellishment; instead, it is work of enlightenment. Art, in other words, is a technique for acquiring liberty.

Are you going to let the obstacles in your life be stumbling blocks or stepping stones? Choose the positive. You are the master of your attitude.

I don't want to do anything halfway. It has to be perfect.

We are told that talent creates opportunity, yet it is desire that creates talent.

Balance your thoughts with action. If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done.

Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.

I cannot teach you, only help you to explore yourself, nothing more.

Jeet Kune Do does not beat around the bush. It does not take winding detours. It follows a straight line to the objective. Simplicity is the shortest distance between two points.

As long as we separate this oneness into two we won't achieve realization.

It is not how much you have learned, but how much you have absorbed in what you have learned.

It is not what happens that is success or failure, but what it does to the heart of man.

It is compassion rather than the principle of justice which can guard us against being unjust to our fellow men.

What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better.

To express yourself in freedom, you must die to everything of yesterday. From the 'old', you derive security; from the 'new', you gain the flow.

Since life is an ever evolving process, one should flow in this process and discover how to actualize and expand oneself.

To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery.

True observation begins when devoid of set patterns; freedom of expression occurs when one is beyond system.

A self-willed man has no other aim than his own growth.

The unfolding of the bare human soul...that is what interests me.

I think of myself as a human being.

When the ultimate perfection is attained, the body and limbs perform by themselves what is assigned to them to do with no interference from the mind. The.

Observe what is with undivided awareness.

Be self aware, rather than a repetitious robot.

Concentration is a form of exclusion, and where there is exclusion, there is a thinker who excludes.

The meaning of life is that it is to be lived, and it is not to be traded and conceptualized and squeezed into a patter of systems.

It is better to live as a broken piece of jade, than to live as a useless clay.

The idea is that flowing water never goes stale, so just keep on flowing.

The more complicated and restricted the method, the less opportunity for expression of one's original sense of freedom.

Let the spirit out -- Discard all thoughts of reward, all hopes of praise and fears of blame, all awareness of one's bodily self. And, finally closing the avenues of sense perception, let the spirit out, as it will.

Dedication, absolute dedication, is what keeps one ahead!

I am not afraid of an opponent who practiced ten thousand kicks once. What I am afraid of is an opponent who practiced one kick, ten thousand times.

We have more faith in what we imitate than in what we create.

In building a statue, a sculptor doesn't keep adding clay to his subject. Actually, he keeps chiseling away at the nonessentials until the truth of his creation is revealed without obstruction.

When you're talking about fighting, as it is, with no rules, well then, baby you'd better train every part of your body!

Out of chaos, find simplicity, From discord, find harmony.

Use no way as way, make no limitation, limitation.

There can be no initiative if one has fear, and fear compels us to cling to tradition, gurus, etc.

Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart.

I do not fear the man who practices 1,000 kicks one time each. I fear the man who practices 1 kick 1,000 times.

Give recognition where it is due. Compliments stimulate more effort and desire to improve. Be generous with honest praising.

If you knew you had to fight for your life tomorrow, would you change your training today?

In combat, spontaneity rules; rote performance of technique perishes.

A good fighter must sense rather than perceive his chance to strike.

Don't be forecasting evil unless it is what you can guard against. Anxiety is good for nothing if we can't turn it into a defense.

Put 'going the extra mile' to work as part of one's daily habit.

When the opponent expand, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And, when there is an opportunity, I do not hit -- it hits all by itself.

Anger should be expressed. - Any anger that is not coming out, flowing freely, will turn into sadism, power drive, stammering, and other means of torturing.

Learn the principles, abide by the principles, and then dissolve the principles.

Forget about winning and losing, forget about pride and pain.

Fear comes from uncertainty; we can eliminate the fear within us when we know ourselves better.

In life, what more can you ask for than to be real?

Efficiency is anything that scores.

The doubters said,
"Man can not fly,"
The doers said,
"Maybe, but we'll try,"
And finally soared
In the morning glow
While non-believers
Watched from below.

If there is a God, he is within. You don't ask God to give you things, you depend on God for your inner theme.

Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water.

The abdominal and waist region coordinate all parts of the body and act as the center or generator. Therefore, you can promote the ability to control the body's action and master your will more easily.

Everything you do, if not in a relaxed state will be done at a lesser level than you are proficient. Thus the tensed expert marksman will aim at a level less than his her student.

In order to realize our true self we must be willing to live without being dependent upon the opinion of others.

Either push your limits or die.

The past is an illusion. You must learn to live in the present and accept yourself for what you are now. What you lack in flexibility and agility you must make up with knowledge and constant practice.

To become a champion requires a good mental attitude toward preparation. You have to accept the most tedious task with pleasure.

It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.

It is not a shame to be knocked down by other people. The important thing is to ask when you're being knocked down, 'Why am I being knocked down?' If a person can reflect in this way, then there is hope for this person.

An intelligent mind is an inquiring mind. It is not satisfied with explanation, with conclusions. Nor is it a mind that believes, because belief is again another form of conclusion.

The less confident we are in ourselves, the less we are in touch with ourselves and the world, the more we want to control.

The word "superstar" is an ilusion.

The success of an assailant's attack depends on surprise, and if you're sufficiently alert to prevent a surprise, your counterattack is already halfway to being successful.

Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality.

Things live by moving and gain strength as they go.

If there is always light, you don't experience light anymore. You have to have the rhythm of light and darkness.

Knowing is not enough; We must apply. Willing is not enough; We must do.

No matter what, you must let your inner
light guide you out of the darkness.

Satori -- in the awakening from a dream. Awakening and self-realization and seeing into one's own being -- these are synonymous.

To be bound by traditional martial art style or styles is the way of the mindless, enslaved martial artist. But to be inspired by the traditional martial art and to achieve further heights is the way of genius.

Don't ignore the five senses in search of a sixth.

Turn your sparring into play -- but always play seriously.

Even today, I dare not say that I have reached a state of achievement. I'm still learning, for learning is boundless.

Never try to copy a successful personality.

Go toward self-actualization rather than self-image actualization... Search within... for honest self- expression.

This achieving the center, being grounded in one's self, is about the highest state a human being can achieve.

Give up thinking as though not giving it up. Observe techniques as though not observing.

I create opportunities.

Martial arts, like any art, is an unrestricted athletic expression of an individual soul.

For something that is static, fixed, dead, there can be a way or a definite path; but not for anything that is moving and living.

My strength comes from my abdomen. It's the center of gravity and the source of real power.

I don't know what is the meaning of death, but I am not afraid to die -- and I go on, non-stop, going forward.

If your opponent is at a distance, kick him in the groin. If he gets close, poke him in the eyes, bring up your knee, pop him with an elbow, dig a corkscrew punch to his stomach.

What Is, is more important than What Should Be.

To know, but to be as though not knowing, is the height of wisdom.

A quality martial artist is always ready for any move, and trains oneself invincible.

One will never get any more than he thinks he can get.

An instructor should exemplify the things he seeks to teach. It will be of great advantage if you yourself can do all you ask of your students and more.

I've come to understand that life is best lived, not conceptualized.

The deluded mind is the mind affectively burdened by intellect. Thus, it cannot move without stopping and reflecting on itself. This obstructs its native fluidity.

Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you. I'll not willingly offend, nor be easily offended.

Every morning like a scholar at his first class I prepare a blank mind for the day to write upon.

Get maximum effect from minimum effort.

The poorer we are inwardly, the more we try to enrich ourselves outwardly.

After all, all knowledge simply means self knowledge.

The most dangerous person is the one who listens, thinks and observes.

The martial arts are ultimately self-knowledge. A punch or a kick is not to knock the hell out of the guy in front, but to knock the hell out of your ego, your fear, or your hang-ups.

Art reaches its greatest peak when devoid of self-conciousness. Freedom discovers man the moment he loses concern over what impression he is making or about to make.

The more restricted a method, the lesser the opportunity for one's individual freedom of expression.

There's only one basic principle of self-defense- you must apply the most effective weapon, as soon as possible, to the most vulnerable target.

All knowledge leads to self-knowledge.

Be like water, my friend.

Boards don't hit back.

Evaluation by others is not a guide for me.

All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.

Running water never grows stale.

Now I see that I will never find the light
Unless, like the candle, I am my own fuel,
Consuming myself.

To see a thing uncolored by one's own personal preferences and desires is to see it in its own pristine simplicity.

Action is a high road to self-confidence and esteem.

The more relaxed the muscles are, the more energy can flow through the body. Using muscular tensions to try to 'do' the punch or attempting to use brute force to knock someone over will only work to opposite effect.

Understanding comes about through feeling, from moment to moment in the mirror of relationship.

When you say that something is impossible, you have made it impossible.

Meditation means to be free from all phenomena and calmness means to be internally unperturbed. There will be calmness when one is free from external objects and is not perturbed.

I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves.

Art lives where absolute freedom is, because where it is not, there can be no creativity.

It doesn't matter you were born as Legend
But what does matter is Legendary End.
Think About It.

More and more I believe in the fact that you have two hands and two legs, and the thing is how to make good use of yourself -- and that's about it.

Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength.

Understanding requires not just a moment of perception, but a continuous awareness, a continuous state of inquiry without conclusion.

To tolerate is to insult.

If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow -- you are not understanding yourself.

A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence.

When one is not expressing himself, he is not free. thus, he begins to struggle and the struggle breeds methodical routine. Soon, he is doing his methodical routine as response rather than responding to what is.

Remember, success is a journey not a destination. Have faith in your ability. You will do just fine.

You and your opponent are one. There is a coexisting relationship between you. You coexist with your opponent and become his complement, absorbing his attack and using his force to overcome him.

I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, but above all, am actualising myself to be an artist of life.

Believe me that in every big thing or achievement there are always obstacles-big or small- and the reaction one shows to such obstacles is what counts, not the obstacle itself.

Instead of dedicating your life to actualize a concept of what you should be like, actualize yourself.

If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of.

Independent inquiry is needed in your search for truth, not dependence on anyone else's view or a mere book.

When one has no form, one can be all forms.

People try to hold onto the sameness. This holding onto prevents growth.

To be what I term a 'quality' human being one has to be transparently real and have the courage to be what he is.

Using no way as way. Having no limitation as your only limitation.

Take inventory of everyone with whom you have contact.

If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done.

A kung fu man lives without being dependant on the opinions of others, and a master, unlike the beginner, holds himself in reserve. He is quiet and unassuming, with no desire to show off.

Practice makes perfect. After a long time of practicing, our work will become natural, skillfull, swift, and steady.

Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there.

Genius: The capacity to see and to express what is simple, simply!

Let nature take its course and your tools will strike at the right moment.

Take what's useful, discard what is not.

A conditioned mind is never a free mind.

I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies.

To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.

To me defeat in anything is merely temporary. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.

To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself.

The primary Reality is not what I think, but that I live, for those also live who do not think.

It's not what happens that counts... it's how you react.

The knowledge and skills you have achieved are meant to be forgotten so you can float comfortably in emptiness, without obstruction.

But to those who kept saying
"It can't be done,"
Never are the victories
Or the honors won.
But, rather,
By the believing, doing kind,
While the doubters
Watched from far behind.

Life is wide, limitless. There is no border, no frontier.

Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.

Low aim, not failure, is the crime.

Yielding will overcome anything superior to itself; its strength is boundless.

Do not be tense, just be ready, not thinking but not dreaming, not being set but being flexible.

Use karate, judo, aikido, or any style to build your counter-offensive. It will be interesting!

I have the absolute confidence not to be number two, but then I have enough sense to realize that there can be no number one.

The mind is like a fertile garden in which anything that is planted, flowers or weeds, will grow.

The usefulness of a cup is its emptiness.

The disease of philosophy. -- Philosophy is itself the disease for which it pretends to be the cure: the wise man does not pursue wisdom but lives his life, and therein precisely does his wisdom lie.

Belts are only good for holding up your pants.

Remember, Life is a journey, not a destination.

Don't pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.

To express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself--that, my friend, is very hard to do.

Success means doing something sincerely and wholeheartedly.

What is true stillness? Stillness in movement.

Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.